Lie To Me
by muggleborn.dragon.ryder
Summary: Hiccup was happy with his life now. Ever since he killed the dragon queen, things have been settling down for him. Yet danger lurks in every corner, threatening his dragon. Hiccup must face the fact that Toothless cannot outrun the danger. Sequel to Save Me. Rated T for angst, mild violence and profanity.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok. I am posting one, and one chapter only. If enough people like it, I will continue, but I didn't get the feeling that 'Save Me' was really that popular, but if enough people ask me to continue or update soon, I will.**

* * *

"Gotcha!" I grin, peeking behind the nearest tree.

Toothless makes a startled, gasping sound, then glares at me, unimpressed.

"Alright bud," I say with a laugh. "Just to school. Then you've got to leave! You don't want people chanting, 'Mary had a little lamb' at me, all day, do ya?"

My dragon's a hard creature to discourage. He insists on flying me to school and following me inside the building.

Of course, I would rather fly, and I enjoy his company more than anyone else's.

But dragons aren't technically allowed in school.

Not that they're dangerous! They just breathe fire and are gigantic, so it's a little hard to concentrate on your schoolwork when they're in there.

Toothless normally deals with that.

I feel guilty, leaving him in the cove all day, but he can't come with me to school and he certainly isn't allowed in the house.

Dad hates dragons and no matter what, he always will.

We reached a shaky living arrangement that suited him and half-suited me, but he disowned me a few months ago.

Now, it's just like I'm a temporary boarder in his house.

Still, it's better than…well, better than…. It's complicated.

Anyway, Toothless really hates the fact that he has to leave me alone in school.

It's a complete contrast to just six months ago, when everyone ignored or hated me, but I'm pretty well liked now.

Still, I think Toothless senses that some kids still dislike me or outright hate me.

No one bullies me anymore, mostly because I know a guy who's twice anyone else's size and I own a pet dragon.

I'm not trying to sound conceited. I wouldn't touch somebody who had a fire breathing serpent and burly guy on his side, would you?

Anyway, the point is, Toothless really doesn't like it when I leave him.

I climb on his back and he starts off to the school, joyfully swooping through the air.

I laugh out loud, but the sound is snatched away by the wind. I laugh again, proving the air current can't snatch the feeling from me.

Toothless lands outside the school within seconds.

"You're much better than the bus," I say with a grin.

He nudges me and suddenly I hear the words, _Hiccup, there are some things you need to know…_

"Toothless?"

_Be careful, Hiccup. Be really, really careful._

"Why?" I ask softly, scared at his sudden change of tone.

_Hiccup, the Venom Winds are stirring. Protect yourself and stay away._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I never meant to post the second chapter...it just sort of happened, mostly because I saw I had a follower and I was like, 'oh!' so I decided that, even if no one else but her/him reads it, they deserve to get it! And because I hate the way people post one chapter and NEVER POST THE REST.**

* * *

"What are the Venom Winds?"

_It's the oldest and most ancient type of dragon. It is a hundred times more powerful than a Night Fury. Venom Winds hunt Night Furies to the point of extinction and take out anyone standing in the way of their enemy. Protect yourself and stay away._

* * *

I kind of numbly walk inside the school building, unsure what to think.

Toothless has never lied to me before with the strange connection we share through thoughts, but…Venom Winds?

What are they?

I shiver a little and pull the sleeves of my jacket down lower over my arms, thinking of the Venom Winds.

I hear footsteps behind me, and Astrid's fingers slip over my eyes. "Guess who."

I turn around and kiss her. "The most beautiful girl in the world?"

Astrid smiles and pulls away from the kiss, slipping her hand in mine and swinging our interlocked fingers back and forth. "Good guess."

I grin, but my light-heartedness is short-lived. Suddenly, I find myself thinking of the Venom Winds again and what Toothless said about them.

"Astrid?" I decide to give it a try, even if I seriously doubt it.

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever heard…"I swallow, my throat dry as sandpaper. "…Of a type of dragon called, 'Venom Wind'?"

Astrid thinks for a second. "I don't think so. Of course, if such a thing as a Venom Wind exists, it will be in the Book of Dragons. Remember that textbook Gobber gave us in the first day of dragon training?"

I nod uncertainly. The Venom Wind _won't _be in the Book of Dragons. It won't be anywhere. I get the strongest feeling that Toothless is the only person left who knows about Venom Winds…if they exist.

I swallow. "Okay. Thanks, though."

Astrid gives me a strange, sideways look. "Where'd you hear about them?"  
I shrug. "Around."

Astrid steps in front of me, blocking my path down the hall. "Hiccup? You're hiding something."

"No, Astrid, I—

"Hiccup," Astrid places her hands on my shoulders. "Just tell me."

I shake my head. "There's nothing bothering me."

There's a short silence.

A smile begins on Astrid's face.

"Why are you grinning?" I snap.

She grins wider, shaking her head. "You're just such a bad liar!"

She begins hooting with laughter.

I glare at her. "Oh, laugh it up."

She catches her breath. "You're a seriously awful liar, Hiccup! Who told you could pull that off?"

I fold my arms over my chest. "One more smirk and I'm saying nothing."

She grins and shakes out her long, blonde hair. "Okay, okay. All sincerity now. What happened?"

I shake my head. "Astrid…"

She puts a finger to my lips. "Before you can say I'm fine, just remember you're a terrible liar."

I sigh, defeated. "Astrid…Toothless mentioned them."

"Wait, you can talk to him?"

"No," I mutter, embarrassed. "I can just, you know, hear what he wants me to and he…." I roll my eyes. "Look, the important thing is what he told me, okay? Not how he told me."

She nods skeptically. "What did he tell you?"

I shove my hair back from my eyes. "He said Venom Winds hunt Night Furies to extinction. And that anyone who tries to stand in the way of a Venom Wind dies."

Astrid gasps. "Oh, no wonder…" She begins shaking her head. "No wonder you looked so upset."

"Astrid, what's going to happen to Toothless?" I ask miserably.

She covers her mouth with her hand. "Maybe you should…tell somebody, we could get something started, a little 'Protect the Night Fury!' group or something…"

"And if we go to the Venom Wind's cave or nest or whatever, wave our signs, cause a big stink and ask it pretty please, it'll leave Toothless alone?"

She sighs.

The sarcasm is heavy in my voice as I go on. "Or maybe it will have a sudden realization that Night Furies really aren't so bad after all! Who can tell? The possibilities are endless!"

Astrid bites her lip. "Hiccup, I'm only trying to help, I—

"Astrid, whatever your ideas are, they're not going to help," I tell her honestly. "We need Toothless to help us figure out the Venom Wind. He should be the expert, after all."

Astrid traces the outline of my lip with her finger. "Well…tell me what he says."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, there's some Hiccup and Stoick angst here. Bear through it. **

* * *

I'm back with Toothless, my palm pressed flat against his nose, my mind reeling.

_You can't stop the Venom Winds. They don't just harbor a grudge against all Night Furies anymore. I'm the prize these dragons seek._

I feel my blood begin to boil and rip my hand off his snout. "They'll have you dead if I'm not breathing!"

Toothless blinks up at me calmly.

I force myself to stay calm and place my palm back on Toothless' nose. _Hiccup, calm down. I'm going to fight these things with everything I have, okay? Just listen._

I nod silently.

_But this…Venom Winds suddenly want me because I befriended a human. I befriended you and the Venom Winds see that as the deepest betrayal to our kind. After the rebellion, we swore to stamp out all humans, to purge this world of human life. When I turned my back on the vow, the Venom Winds sought to kill me. They are the most aggressive and war-like dragons of all time._

I nod. "Sounds like."

Suddenly, another thought occurs to me. "Wait. What do you mean, the rebellion?"

_Gosh, I keep forgetting how much you don't know. Well, the rebellion was so long ago I often forget what happened during it…Many lives were lost, Hiccup. It is not something I should like to remember._

_Besides, nothing like that will ever happen again. It was centuries ago. _

* * *

When I get home, Dad is sitting stiffly at the kitchen table, some paperwork spread out before him.

I catch myself just before I call out a greeting to him.

"Where were you?" he demands.

"I was in the cove, with Toothless," I say quietly, glancing at him, checking for his reaction.

Dad clucks his tongue. "Hiccup, you _know _I don't like it when—

"Deal," I tell him angrily. "He's my best friend."

"He's a dragon!"

"Does it matter?"

"Listen," Dad spits fiercely from between clenched teeth. "You need to stop seeing him."

My eyes flash. "He's my best friend."

"Does it matter?" His voice is a mocking duplication of my own.

My blood begins to boil. I don't normally get angry at him, but when Dad starts riding me about my dragon, it really gets me riled up. "Leave me alone. Shut up."

His eyes widen, then flash. "Hiccup."

"Who are you to boss me?" I demand angrily. "I'm not your son."

He draws back, like I just smacked him.

A savage pleasure comes from making him feel the way I felt when he said those words.

Then I run upstairs to the safety of my bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hope you all like! There is a bit of Hicstrid sprinkled here and there from here on out for the rest of the story, but for the most part, this is angst and friendship, not fluff.**

* * *

The next day, I wake up in my bedroom, my notebook lying open on my chest.

With a groan, I pull myself upright and yank on some clean clothes.

I race to the cove, seeing Toothless up and waiting for me.

I grin and come over to him, before remembering the events of last night.

"That's it," I tell him grimly. "Either I'm sleeping in the cove from now on, or Dad's just gonna have to deal."

* * *

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"C'mon, Dad, Toothless is in danger! He could die!"

"Then good riddance to the beast!"

I scowl at him. "These dragons could _kill _him!"

"Then good riddance! I hate that dragon!"

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do, Hiccup," Dad snaps. "Leave me alone."

"Dad, please…" I plead.

"The answer is _no," _Dad insists.

I sigh. "Fine."

* * *

"Aw, what's wrong?" Astrid asks me at school the next day.

Then her eyes widen. "Uh-oh. Did something happen with Toothless?"

I sigh. "Astrid, Dad's not letting him stay in the house! If I leave him all alone in the cove, he could DIE."

She nods sadly. "Well, I can—

"So I'm just sleeping in the cove," I say.

She scowls. "You are not. Toothless will stay at my place."

I give her a sideways glance. "Astrid…"

"C'mon, Hiccup, it'll be fine."

"I…"

I hesitate on the verge of saying no.

I mean, I have a _really _hard time trusting anybody with Toothless. Even Astrid.

It just doesn't work for me.

I sigh. "If anything happens to him, Astrid…"

"Happens to who?" Tuffnut asks, joining us.

Astrid turns to him. "Toothless."

We begin walking to class together.

"Oh, totally," Tuffnut says. "If anything happened to that dragon on your watch, Hiccup would go nuts."

I give a small smile. "Astrid, I would…" I hesitate on the verge of a threat.

Astrid chuckles and punches my shoulder. "Yeah. I know what you would do, Dragon Boy."

* * *

That night, I reluctantly fly Toothless to Astrid's house.

I've visited it before, so I know exactly where it is.

"Be safe, bud," I tell him gently.

He stares at me, confused. He presses his nose against my hand. _Why am I staying with the aggressive one?_

Toothless doesn't exactly know any of my friends' names. So he just calls them by a word that describes them.

Snotlout is the 'self-centered' one, Fishlegs is the 'nerdy' one, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut are the 'stupid ones who fight all the time.'

"Toothless, you're in danger," I tell him quietly. "I don't feel safe leaving you in the cove."

He stares at me for a second, then once again, touches his cool, scaly snout against my hand. "You don't really want to leave me here, either."

I sigh. "Toothless…"

He's good at telling my emotions.

Toothless nudges my hand with his nose again. You haven't lived until you've touched a dragon's snout.

"Hiccup, in case you've forgotten, I'm a Night Fury. I'm a light sleeper and good at taking care of myself. The Venom Winds will send expendable dragons, like Zipplebacks or Gronckles before coming themselves."

I groan. "Toothless, I _know _you're a Night Fury. And I don't care. I'm _not _playing around when your life hangs in the balance, okay?"

Toothless lets out a little snort and rubs his head against my hip.

I bend down, reluctant to leave him. I wrap my arms around his neck. "Please just keep yourself safe, Toothless. I don't ever want to lose you."

He's my best friend and I can't imagine life without him.

Suddenly, a voice startles me out of my thoughts. "Alright, Dragon Boy," Astrid says, coming up to us. "I can take it from here."

I stand up and walk away.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I do believe there is some more Hiccup-Stoick angst. Please bear through it, LOL. I write father-son angst A LOT as you might have gathered from some of my previous stories... *coughs* I'm Sorry, Too *coughs***

* * *

When I get home that night, Dad turns to me. "Where have you been?"

I sigh. "Nowhere." It's so much easier to lie sometimes.

"Have you been with that _dragon _again?"

"Dad…"

"Hiccup." Dad cuts me off.

I glare at nothing. "I'm not just gonna stop seeing him. He's my best friend. I expect you to suck it up."

Dad's eyebrows fly up, as though wondering when I grew a backbone. "Don't talk to me that way."

"Maybe my _dad _deserves more respect," I tell him cuttingly. "But I don't have a family anymore, do I?"

I stalk upstairs. I've had enough of him.

* * *

When I get to school the next day, Astrid twirls a piece of hair around her finger. "You're late."

"I went to check on Toothless before coming here," I mumble. I wish I could trust her fully with my dragon, but it's not that easy. He's not just a pet to me. He's my best friend.

Astrid tucks the piece of hair behind her ear, playing with her trademark braid now. "Hiccup, you know I'll watch out for him with my life, okay? He's my friend, too. Maybe not so close to me that I can speak to him, but…" Her voice trails off, a little teasing.

She still thinks it's weird that I can talk to him and understand him when he "speaks".

I sigh. "Astrid, I know, okay? But I also know that…well, listen, I just don't like leaving him with _anyone, _okay?"

She sighs, fiddling with the band that keeps her braid together. "I'll watch out for him, okay?"  
Then she adds, "Maybe we could go for a ride on him together after school?"

I nod as Snotlout joins us. "Hey, Hiccup," he calls, thumping me on the back so hard my eyes water in pain.

"Hey, Astrid," he says then adds, "Looking good."

"Snotlout," Astrid says warningly.

"Leave her alone," I snap, not in the mood to hear another guy flirting with my girlfriend.

He takes a step back. "Okay, Hiccup's in one of his moods."

"It's his 'I'm-cranky-because-I-left-my-pet-dragon-with-my-girlfriend' mood," Astrid says teasingly.

I roll my eyes. "I'm not in a mood." Suddenly, I realize how grumpy I sound.

There's a short silence.

"Oh, yeah, I totally believe him," Astrid says sarcastically.

Snotlout starts snickering and she cracks a smile.

I glare at them for a second, then allow a smile to cross my face. "Okay, fine. I did sound a little mad."

Snotlout hoots with laughter. "A little?"

"Shut up," I tell him, but Astrid's grinning, too.

After English class, the teacher, Gobber, calls me back.

I fumble with the strap of my backpack. "Sir, I'm gonna be late for—

"I'll speak with Mrs. Harris," Gobber says carelessly. "I wanted to talk to you."

Gobber and I have been pretty good friends, despite the fact that he's a teacher and I'm his student.

Yeah, I know. Yuk it up. A teacher and student being friends sounds weird.

But it's really not. If you knew Gobber, you'd understand why it never feels strange.

"Okay…about what, sir?" I'm still used to calling Gobber 'sir', at least out loud. I don't like calling teachers by their first names.

Gobber splays his hands flat on his desk. "Hiccup…I don't…I've heard some things about what's been going on in your house lately."

I feel myself tensing up. "What things?"

"Just…some stuff that went down between you and Stoick after…well…"

"Sir, a classroom isn't the place to have a pleasant chat about a father and son who hate each other," I tell him, bluntly honest. "So if you don't mind—

"No more crap, Hiccup. Okay?"

"What?" I turn around to look at him.

"Hiccup. No more crap. I need to make sure you're okay."

"He doesn't hit me anymore, if that's what you mean."

There's a silence. A long one, an endless one.

He knows I'm lying. And I know it, too.

"I heard about Toothless being in danger," Gobber says carefully. "What's going on with him?"

I take a step backward, reaching for the doorknob. "He'll be fine. I left him with Astrid."

"Hiccup…take care of yourself. And call me if you ever need to talk."

* * *

When I get to Astrid's house, Toothless is waiting for me.

He bowls me over and licks my cheek happily when I come to him.

I laugh. "Okay, Toothless. I get the point. You missed me, huh?" I scratch him under the chin.

He nudges me with his nose.

I know what he wants and put my hand out to him.

He presses his nose against my hand. _Ugh, Hiccup, you have no idea how boring the aggressive one is._

A short silence.

_Also, you never mentioned you were her boyfriend._

"Huh?" I ask, taken aback.

_She was walking around out here, talking on the phone. Saying something about you being her boyfriend, that's all._

I blush. Not that Toothless and I need to keep secrets from each other, but I would prefer it if he didn't know this little tidbit.

I sigh and say, "You want to go for a ride with 'the aggressive one' buddy?"

He nods eagerly. _At least she doesn't scream anymore._

I laugh.

The first time the two ever met, Astrid was yelling at me. And punching me.

But that's all history.

Astrid now likes Toothless and vice versa.

I knock on Astrid's front door and a pretty girl of about fourteen, with blonde hair and blue eyes opens it.

The only difference between this girl and Astrid is that this girl's hair is down and Astrid always keeps hers in a braid.

I smile. "Hi, Simone."

Simone is Astrid's thirteen-year-old sister, who actually gets along well with her sister.

Simone smiles at me. "Hey, Hiccup."

Simone and I used to be friends when we were younger, so I guess the easy friendship stuck through the years.

"Is Astrid here?" I ask.

She nods. "Oh, yes, she's been waiting for you."

Then she goes over to a flight of stairs and calls, "ASTRID, HICCUP'S HERE FOR YOU!"

There's a short silence and then…

"COMING!"

There's a lot of thumping.

"You'd better come in and sit down," Simone says cheerfully, motioning me over to the couch. "She could be a few minutes."

I grin. Knowing Astrid, she'll be down here ten minutes later, her braid all askew and undone and her face will be pink and she'll apologize for her lateness.

The reason she takes so long is because of her bedroom.

She claims it's a well-designed obstacle course. The rest of us call it a toxic waste site.

Simone pats the seat next to her on the couch and I take the seat.

Simone crosses her legs at the ankles and leans back against the throw pillows all over the overstuffed sofa. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah," I say. "It has been a while."

There's an awkward silence. Simone kind of leaves me hanging, searching for something to say that doesn't sound nerdy or awkward.

"So, how's Toothless?" she asks.

I seize gratefully upon the subject. "Stubborn as ever."

"Just like his rider."

Astrid has emerged from the black hole that is her room.

We race each other outside and climb on Toothless' back.

This is where I belong.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hiccup is on a romantic flight with Astrid! 3 Lol. In case you haven't guessed yet...HICSTRID FLUFF! 3 LOL. Also...aaaaaaaangst! LOL**

* * *

Astrid slides her arm around my waist and we shoot up into the sky, the cold wind momentarily taking my breath away.

I gasp for air and hear Astrid doing the same behind me.

She rests her chin on my shoulder and whispers, "Hiccup?"

"Mm?" I ask, steering Toothless past a few clouds.

Astrid whispers, "What did you _really _do to get Toothless to trust you? Like, what was the final barrier that you broke down?"

I hesitate. "Why?"

She shrugs. "I'm just curious."

I turn around and look at her; her blonde hair, still up in its familiar braid, spills over her shoulders and her blue eyes are glittering.

I smile at her. "Well, I think it was really a combination of a lot of things."

Toothless will instantly grasp the meaning behind our words, I'm sure of it.

"What things?" she asks.

There's a silence that I let sit for a few minutes.

"Well…first up, he barfed up some raw meat in my lap."

I hear an indignant huff. _I was sharing my food._

I grin at his words and say to Astrid, "So, yeah, he puked in my lap and I ate it."

She stares at me, disgust written all over her face. "What?" she squawks.

I chuckle at the expression on her face. "No, no, no, it wasn't like…okay, I'm explaining this badly…hmm…I guess the best way to say it is that he expected me to eat it and to earn his trust, I did so."

She keeps staring.

"It didn't taste half bad," I offer up in defense of my dragon and myself.

She stares still.

I raise an eyebrow. "In retrospect, I probably should've kept that to myself, huh?"

She lets out a giggle. "Maybe."

There's a short silence.

Her fingers find their way on my cheek and she absently traces the line of my face.

I turn away and kiss her delicate fingers. "I love you."

She smiles and says quietly, "Hiccup?"

"Mmm?"

Then she says, "Nothing."

But there's a smile in her voice, like it was something she knew I'd both hate and love to hear.

* * *

When the sun begins to set, Astrid sighs. "We ought to turn back."  
"Oh, c'mon. Toothless has great vision at night," I attempt. But in reality, I know the flight can't last much longer.

Every single time we fly together, I fall in love with her all over again and I love that feeling.

But the moment's got to end sometime.

So we turn back and Astrid slides off Toothless. "Are you leaving him with me tonight?"

"Yeah," I say regretfully.

He'll be safest at Astrid's, I assure myself quietly.

I give Toothless a quick hug goodbye and whisper, "I promise nothing will hurt you. Okay?"

He gives a moan and presses his nose to my hand.

_Hiccup, I don't think you should go home._

"I don't want to," I admit, completely forgetting about Astrid. "I'd much rather stay here with you, Toothless."

Astrid looks between the two of us. "Are you talking to him?"

I nod. "Shh."

Toothless doesn't speak again, though.

So I turn around and go home.

When I get home, I glance at Dad.

He smells of alcohol. The scent stings my nose and I take this moment to really look at him.

His eyes are only half-open, his mouth gaping slightly.

I hear thunder rumbling outside and glance instinctively toward the door.

As I slowly withdraw my gaze, my eyes meet Dad's.

Regret, sadness and defeat course through me as I look at the man my father has become, once proud and strong and now a broken-down old man.

He doesn't say anything, not even when I take the empty seat next to him on the couch and stare unseeingly at the lit-up TV screen, which could be announcing the arrival of aliens for all I know.

I cross my arms over my chest and try not to look at my father, because I know he will be looking at me and I don't feel like having that conversation today.

All the words we've never spoken seem to hover in the air until I'm tempted to break the deafening silence.

Finally, he speaks, his voice a little slurred from the alcohol intake. "Good day?"

I look at him and consider lashing out, showing him he can't be a father whenever _he _damn well pleases.

The angry retort is so close, ready on my tongue, the anger I've been holding back for months finally about to come out…

And then, just like that, I swallow it back, like it's bile rising in my throat. I swallow it back and say instead, "Yes."

I wait for him to yell at me or hit me, to start in on me about Toothless. But silence reigns.

So I grab my bag up from where it sits by my feet and head for the stairs, all the words I want to say to him hovering on my tongue, waiting to be said.


	7. Chapter 7

"Toothless!" I call happily, running up to greet my dragon.

His eyes are wide with fear. But I don't pay attention, so joyful I am to see him again.

"Hey, bud!" I race over to him and wrap my arms around his neck.

He lets loose a little whine.

"Toothless?" I pull away.

_Hiccup, go._

"Toothless?"

_NOW._

"Toothless…"_ HICCUP GO._

His voice becomes more urgent.

Suddenly, I get why he's so scared. Venom Winds are coming for him.

He whines again. _Hiccup, you're my best friend._

A lump forms in my throat when I remember that that was what he said last time he'd thought he was going to die.

"Toothless, you're gonna be okay."

There's no response.

"Toothless?"

I turn to see him staring vacantly up at a spot in the sky.

Looking up, too, I see a black speck.

_Hiccup, you better go, otherwise I will forcibly remove you from here._

"Toothless, I'm _NOT _leaving you." Of this I'm certain.

He begins forcefully nudging me with his nose.

"Toothless!" I snap, turning to face him. "Stop it! I don't care what happens to me, I'm not leaving you!"

Toothless draws back.

My angry response was unexpected.

I sigh. "Toothless, I'm not going to leave you. Okay?"

Toothless glares. _You're in danger._

"It doesn't matter."

_I don't want to lose my best friend!_

"And neither do I!"

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the black speck lands. But it's definitely not a speck anymore.

It's a dragon, a truly gigantic one, but it's not black anymore…up close, it's scales are dark blue and translucent.

Its skin is silver and blue and gold, like the sky at night.

Its teeth are longer and thicker than my arm and its eyes are constantly shifting…not to mention changing color.

First they're deep, blood red, when they focus on Toothless. When they look at me, they turn silver.

I get the feeling I've stepped in the middle of a battle that is not my own.

Toothless tenses and steps right up near the dragon fearlessly. I hear the words laced in his growl: _It's me you're after. Focus on me._

Suddenly, I get what he's trying to do and it works; the Venom Wind's eyes change back to crimson and they fix themselves on Toothless.

"Hiccup? _What _is all this growling about?" a voice asks, a door creaking.

"Stay where you are, Astrid." I whisper.

Toothless keeps growling as he and the Venom Wind circle each other.

_The most aggressive and war-like dragon of all._

So it can't be reasoned with. It can't be trained.

"Hey, ugly!" I shout in desperation. "If you want to get to the dragon, you're going through me first!"

The Venom Wind turns his great, ugly head and fixes his silver eyes on me.

I stare back at him steadily. "C'mon. If he's what you're after, you're gonna have to kill me first."

I can practically read the Venom Wind's mind: _Excellent. A weakling. This should be an easy kill._

He blasts a fireball at me.

I duck it easily and call, "You're gonna have to shoot better than that if you're gonna kill _this _weakling, you ugly brute!"

I sense he's angrier and I smile to myself. I'm keeping his attention away from Toothless.

I catch a glimpse of Astrid and see she's staring at me, gearing up to follow my lead.

I shake my head just slightly and she stares back at me, uncomprehending. I allow myself a final shake of the head again and turn back to the Venom Wind.

_HICCUP WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?! IT'S ME THIS THING IS AFTER!_

The Venom Wind takes a step closer to me.

I step in front of Toothless, not nearly big enough to entirely conceal my dragon, but hopefully strong enough to stop him from doing anything rash.

Toothless nudges me with his nose. _Hiccup, you are being an insufferable idiot._

"Toothless, you better shut up," I mutter out of the corner of my mouth.

And suddenly, a new voice, one that is cold and hard as steel and the sound of pure evil itself, echoes in my head. _You are attached to the Night Fury, you scrawny weakling._

Suddenly, I know without a doubt that this is the Venom Wind speaking.

_And you can hear me, it seems. _The cold voice is amused. The dragon steps forward and Toothless growls.

_How can you talk to dragons? How can you hear them?_

"I don't know." My heart is racing. "I thought it was only Toothless."

Suddenly, the Venom Wind takes another step forward.

Toothless attempts to swish me away with his tail, but he isn't quick enough and all I see is a flash of talons, the color of steel…

A flash of sharp pain hits me and then blackness overwhelms me.

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh! :O What has happened to Hiccup? Please welcome my O.C dragon, the Venom Wind! Actually, the Venom WINDS. There's more than one.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you guys for reviewing! :-) You guys rock!**

* * *

When I wake up, I'm in a glaringly bright room. The lights hurt my eyes.

I groan and attempt to yank the blankets up over my head.

The blankets are heavy and thick, though, and they barely move.

With a sigh, I give a weak attempt at kicking the covers off my legs and turn over, burying my face in the pillow, which smells like antiseptic.

I instinctively wrinkle my nose before realizing what the smell means: I'm in the hospital for the second time in a month. Perfect.

I turn over again, preferring the lights over the smell and shut my eyes.

I hear a shout. "Hiccup!"

Astrid's warm arms are suddenly around my waist.

I pull away. "What happened? Things got a little blurry there."

It's true; I can't remember anything.

Astrid sighs and begins fiddling with her braid. "The Venom Wind cut you and…when Toothless and I tried to stop it from killing you, it…got Toothless."

Suddenly, I'm wide-awake, ignoring the pain in my chest. "What?"

My head pounds, but I ignore it. "Astrid, what's wrong with him?"

I scoot to the edge of the bed, wondering how well I can jump the railings.

"I'll shove you right back in bed," Astrid threatens, correctly guessing my train of thought.

I sigh, shoving my hair back from my face. "Astrid, what happened to him?"

"I really think you'd better see…" Astrid says uncomfortably. "I don't really understand it, but…the dragon kind of got his wing or something…"

"Astrid, I'm not going to—

"Hiccup, just give it a few minutes, okay? I'm sure they'll let you out soon."

* * *

In truth, they did let me out of the hospital pretty soon.

But to me, it felt like an eternity.

"He's right through here," Astrid said, leading me to a house on the edge of the woods.

What if Toothless is really hurt? What if he's so badly hurt, he dies? What if? Questions run through my mind, maybes and what-ifs, possiblys and could-bes filling every particle of my brain.

Toothless is lying, asleep, on the floor in the house.

Gobber comes over to meet us, a smile on his face. "Hiccup!" He claps me on the back with enough force to snap my spine. "Hey."

"How's Toothless?" I instantly zero in on my dragon, just lying there. Panic chokes me. If he's not okay…

I race over to him, falling to my knees beside Toothless kneeling beside his head, stroking him.

"He's all right?" I ask, hope rising.

Gobber nods. "Yep. That dragon's strong. And stubborn."

I wrap my thin arms around Toothless' strong, thick, scaly neck. "What happened?"

"Well, the dragon hurt Toothless' wing, see here?" Gobber points to Toothless' wing, which, sure enough, has an odd curve to it that definitely wasn't there before.

"I fixed his wing up as best as I could, but I don't think he'll be able to fly for about a week."

I smile. "Good. I'll have a hard time getting him to stay on the ground much longer."

After the stitches dissolve, the only thing that remains of my fight with the Venom Wind was a single, jagged scar running down from my chest.

The pale mark doesn't look right against my skin, like it belongs on another person's body.

Toothless is, just as I predicted, a quick healer and urging me to fly again within three days.

I'm pretty firm, though, and Toothless eventually gives up.

Two days before he can fly again, I'm idly chatting with him, stopping to listen when I hear his voice in my head.

After a while, he begins wheedling me about flying again.

I sigh and look away. "What happened during the rebellion, Toothless?"

There's no answer from behind me. I've caught him by surprise.

"You said 'many lives were lost' but…you know, it just sounds like you were there and would know the truth of what happened."

I glance at him again.

He stares up at me silently for a few moments. _It…was not so long ago, Hiccup. Maybe three decades?_

I nod slowly.

_"Sit down with me."_

So I sit, leaning against his side, my eyes trained on him.

And, with that, the Night Fury begins to tell his story.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Toothless tells his story! :-) I made up a pretty good story for him, actually. It's purely made-up, of course - it's not like this actually happened before the movie!**

* * *

Toothless starts speaking hesitantly. _Centuries ago, I was born._

I'm tempted to tease Toothless about the 'centuries' thing, but I hold my tongue.

_And when I was born, I wasn't as I am now. I was like you._

There's a short silence as I struggle to grasp the meaning behind his words. "What do you—

_I was a runt, Hiccup._

Okay, now this I hadn't seen coming.

_I was so small when I hatched that my parents were terrified that they'd lose me. I was so weak, you see, so fragile and delicate._

I nod. My mom once told me she'd feared losing me, too, for the very same reason.

_The other dragons mocked me for my smallness. _Toothless went on. _Mostly other Night Furies. The other breeds knew better. Even as a weak, scrawny hatchling, I could kill them easily._

There's a short silence as I stomach this.

_And then came a boy._

There's another silence, until Toothless picks up his story again, his voice tight with pain.

_His name was Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock…the Second._

Shock flashes across my face and I'm sure my mouth is gaping into a perfect O as I gasp.

My full name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, so of course there must have been a first and second Hiccup before me.

_He approached me carefully. No weapon in sight. Still, I did not trust the boy. I was taught the hard way to fear humans when I lost a friend to them. _

His face is filled with grief as he goes on. _And so, when the boy approached me, I immediately started growling and snarling. But my threats and warnings were simply not enough to keep the boy away. He promised me he wouldn't hurt me and took me home._

_I fought to get away, trying to get back to my parents._

_I didn't understand all of what was said when he brought me to his home. His parents, I recall, were angry that he held me in his arms. He begged them to let me stay, to give them a chance. Dragons and people were not totally at war, then. A calm before the second storm, if you will._

_So they agreed._

His voice tightens. _Then, one day, it happened. I knew it couldn't last…._

_He tried to kill me._

"What?" I gasp, shocked. How could anyone gain a dragon's trust, then turn on him? How can anyone do that?

And just like that, I'm grateful I'm not like my ancestors.

Toothless nods sadly.

_Hiccup the Second gained my trust, then attempted to kill me. With the very dagger you freed from me from that tree with._

The dagger I tossed in the lake nine months ago…

"The dagger I freed you…?"

_When he tried to kill me…well, the other dragons had, up until that point, been keeping an uneasy pact of peace with the humans. But now, war broke out everywhere._

"This is why you took so long to trust me," I mutter to myself.

His eyes meet mine. _The rebellion was…awful. It wasn't just dragons vs. humans after awhile._

_Any dragon or human who refused to take part in the killing was brutally murdered…by their own kind. To avoid death myself, I killed countless people._

His eyes are dark with memories of war.

Suddenly, as I slide my hand onto his nose, my mind holds images that are not my own.

A Night Fury roars, loudly and angrily, crushing human bodies beneath his feet.

The sky behind the dragon is harsh, cloudy and blood red. I know it must've been caused by the sunset, but it feels like a prediction of war.

Then, it flashes to a Terrible Terror, surrounded by people. The Terror gives a terrified squeak and attempts to move out of the circle.

One boy in particular stands out to me: dark red hair, brawny, green eyes. The spitting image of what could have been me, had I been born with a stronger build.

He holds a dagger high above the little dragon, and plunges it straight into the heart of the Terror.

The dagger sinks so deeply into the dragon's chest that only the hilt can be seen as blood seeps around it.

Hiccup the Second jerks the blade out by the hilt, the gleaming silver now stained dark with blood.

Sickened, I fight against the images.

I'm standing by Astrid's house again, my heart racing and my mind whirling.

"That…" I begin hoarsely. "…Was…terrible."

I find I'm suddenly lost for words. What can I say that could possibly describe the horrible things I've just seen?

Normal people could deal with it. They could simply say, "That was not a good time" and move on. But me? The entire thing shakes me to my very core.

"Was that Night Fury you?" I ask quietly. Obviously, I know Toothless has taken human lives before, but that was before he knew humans could be good.

Toothless nods unhappily.

Instinctively, I pull my hand back from his snout.

He looks hurt. _I'm not about to start opening fire on the town, Hiccup._

I look at my sneakers. "Sorry," I mutter.

But, of course, over the past few months, I've forgotten what Toothless is.

He's not just my friend, but also a dangerous predator.

He's not just my dragon, but also an easily angered Night Fury that will spill blood if need be.

He's not harmless.

He will kill if necessary and has killed before.

I'm shaking a little as I speak. "Toothless…you killed all those people…"

_To save my own life._

"I know that," I mutter, unconvinced. "And…I don't think you should take a life—

_But I had to. Hiccup, those other Venom Winds and Night Furies would have killed me! And to be honest, I had no love for humans. What was it to me if I killed a worthless human to be able to keep on living?_

I consider that. "I see your point."

Astrid comes running out of her house. "Hey, Hiccup!" She throws her arms around my neck. She smells like wildflowers and pine needles and cold air. I just inhale her scent for a second, breathing it in slowly.

Astrid pulls away and kisses me quickly. "So, how was today?"

I smile at her, telling myself I'd better shove my fear and horror to the back of my mind. "It's gotten better in the last ten seconds."

Astrid grins and playfully slugs me on the shoulder.

"I hate it when you do that," I tell her.

She smiles sweetly. "Then I'll be sure to keep on doing it."

"C'mon, Astrid," I groan. "I'm weak."

She chuckles and kisses me on the cheek, making my heart beat faster.

I slide my arms around her waist. "I love you, Astrid."

Suddenly, a voice sounds in my head. _You guys are sickening._

Heat rushes to my cheeks. "Great," I mutter. "We have an audience. Want to take this somewhere else? Maybe away from nosy dragons?"

Toothless gives me the toothless smile that convinced me that the name would be great for him. _I never thought I'd see you get all…gooey. It's sickening._

Astrid looks between us. "What is he saying?"

I glance at her, my face a little red. "Uh…nothing you need to know."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Surprises all around!**

* * *

The next day at school, I'm still lost in the horror of the images Toothless showed me yesterday.

When school's over, I walk Astrid home and stop to see Toothless before going home.

There's nothing else that can be done. I've been thinking of making different arrangements for him, but I can't think of any fail-proof way to keep him safe.

I hug him quickly around the neck. "How you doing buddy?"

Toothless gives me a look. _Hmph._

"What's wrong?"

_I want to fly! I don't like being earthbound! _

"I can't help it," I tell him. "You have to let your wing heal. Technically, we could push it a day, but I don't want to take that risk."

Toothless knows it's a lost cause, though and doesn't try to push it.

"We'll go flying in a few days," I tell him. "I promise."

Toothless nods, displeased.

I sit down on the ground next to him. "Toothless?"

There's no response. Why isn't he speaking to me?

I turn and see he's staring at me questioningly.

I sigh and lock eyes with him. "You didn't show me…everything that happened during the dragon rebellion, did you?"

Toothless gives a miserable shake of the head. _There are things you can't handle, Hiccup._

"Toothless, what are you keeping from me?" I hate the feeling that he's shutting me out, leaving me on the outside to keep looking in.

Toothless breaks the gaze. _Hiccup, listen, and forget about it. When you're ready, I'll tell you._

* * *

Dad is downstairs and I am upstairs.

Once again, we're far from each other, but still aware that the other is here somewhere.

I sigh and fall back on my pillow, contemplating what Toothless said today.

"_When you're ready, I'll tell you."_

The words come back to me as I lie there and I sit up suddenly, overwhelmed by the feeling that I need to talk to Toothless right now.

"Toothless…" I mumble to myself. "Gotta get to Toothless."

Suddenly, I hear a loud roar that makes my windows rattle in the panes.

Frozen, I stare at the sky, where a black shape circles…right above Astrid's house.

Toothless can't fly by himself.

My heart beats fast with fear.

_I grow weary of this childish game, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III._

That voice. That voice like frozen steel, the voice that renders me completely paralyzed every time I hear it.

I quickly shake myself and start running.

_Come to me._

I'm coming.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Everything's kind of...strange in this chapter. You have been warned.**

* * *

_Raven's Point Forest, Hiccup. Focus._

I put the brakes on. "Toothless isn't in the forest…"

_I'm the one who has him, am I not?_

I hesitate.

_He will die._

I start running again, picking up speed, the world a blur around me as I race to the forest. The moment I'm in the trees, I instantly feel my head clear a little.

It feels better now.

_Left._

I turn left.

_You're coming to a fork in the road soon. Go straight when you come to it._

I nod. "Okay. Okay."

When I reach the fork, I go straight and when I get to a clearing, I see the Venom Wind.

But where's Toothless…?

I walk towards the Venom Wind. "Okay, you've had your fun. Give me my dragon or you'll really regret it."

What are you thinking? My common sense demands. You can't take on this thing!

My common sense needs to take a hike.

The dragon eyes me. _Hello, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III._

"What…where's Toothless?" I force myself to speak.

_Oh, he isn't here. He's still at the girl's house. I'll deal with him presently._

I start shaking slightly. "What…"

_Walk slowly towards me._

"Why do you want me?"

_You need to learn your place._

"I…." I can't form a coherent sentence or thought…I'm…in shock. And I'm also really, really angry with myself.

I can't believe I was stupid enough to actually believe the Venom Wind!

_Come here._

"No."

The Venom Wind takes a step towards me. _Be reasonable, Hiccup._

"How do you know my name?" My heart beats fast, but I will not tremble. I will just stare up at those deadly silver eyes, the color of a blade.

I will simply look at him, and I will not break his gaze because if I do, I will be showing weakness.

"Leave Toothless alone!" I tell him. "You stop hunting down Night Furies!"

The dragon begins laughing in my head and the sound is like a thousand steel knives being sharpened at once.

I wince at the sound and he abruptly stops laughing.

_Who are you? _He hisses, taking a step closer to me. _You have a fondness for dragons and hear them in your head…How do you do it?_

"I don't know," I gasp.

_Tell me._

"I don't know!" The cry pierces the still afternoon air like a crack. I know I can call for Toothless and he will hear me, but I can't put him in danger like that.

_How?_

"I don't understand it." I'm not afraid; just scared for my dragon. What if he comes here and sees and…?

My common sense crushes my fear and I'm nearly calm again.

"I don't understand what I do to hear the dragons. One day, I just heard Toothless in my head."

The Venom Wind, dissatisfied, blows a careless fireball at me.

I dodge it quickly, but not quickly enough; my sleeve catches fire and I quickly pat it out.

The Venom Wind chuckles sinisterly. _You tell me you don't know?_

"That's what I'm telling you," I tell him firmly.

There's a silence.

Then he carelessly lets loose with another blast.

I try to dodge it, but this one gets my arm before the flame dies.

I wince and fall to the ground, holding my arm. I groan and will the burning away.

_You no longer carry value for me. It's best to lie quietly and let me finish you quickly._

_Who knows? Maybe I'll let you die painlessly…_

I hiss in pain and examine the burn on my arm; it's a shiny pink color. The dragon's tongue flicks out like a lizard's. _Come and it will be painless._

I hold my burned arm and glare into those cruel silver eyes. "No way."

My last stand will be a stand of defiance; I'm not going to surrender. I told this beast he would have to go through me first and I'm going to make it hard for him.

_C'mon, Hiccup. Come to me._

There's a silence as I slowly shake my head. "No."

His voice sounds strange; like anger and spite and…something else.

Something strange, that I can't quite place.

_Why don't you make it easy on yourself, Hiccup? What can you do to protect the precious Night Fury, anyway?_

I push myself to my knees, then slowly, to my feet. "I'm not listening to you. I'm not letting you kill me."

The Venom Wind whispers my name, just once, the promise of death.

And that's the last thing I hear before everything starts going black.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This chapter's a little weird. Just a warning!**

* * *

I wake up on hard ground.

Oh, God, everything hurts.

I groan and attempt to turn my head. My head starts pounding.

Suddenly, I hear voices, hissing in my head. _Kill. Kill. Kill._

Panic grips me and I rise up, propping myself up on my elbow. "Who's there?"

The voices come again. _Kill the boy. Kill the boy._

Then…

_THIS IS THE BOY WHO HAS BETRAYED US!_

I gasp, seeing a sea of Venom Winds, all translucent scales and silver eyes and starry wings.

The Venom Wind who cornered me in the forest stands up in front of the other Venom Winds. _Let us now murder the one who has betrayed us!_

"What?" I choke out, turning to look at the Venom Wind. I name him 'Metal' in my mind. His eyes are flat and silver and lifeless, just like metal.

_You are Hiccup Horrendous Haddock. You have betrayed the dragons, after earning their trust._

"I AM Hiccup Horrendous Haddock!" I call out to Metal. "But you don't understand! I am Hiccup _the Third. _I am not the second Hiccup, who betrayed you all! I never tried to kill a Night Fury!"

Metal's tongue flicks out again, reminding me forcibly of a lizard. _Cowardice. Pure cowardice._

"What?" I sputter.

_History is like a set of repeating circles. It is more a question of one step forward, two steps back._

The words come back to me as once I heard them:

_"Hiccup…" My mom brushed my hair off my forehead. "Hiccup, honey, it isn't that easy. History is like a set of repeating circles. It's more a question of one step forward, two steps back."_

That was the answer to my question: Why couldn't people and dragons be friends?

_History repeats itself._

"Maybe it doesn't have to," I whisper to the Venom Wind.

Metal's eyes narrow. _Oh?_

"I will never repeat history if it means attempting to kill Toothless," I tell the dragon calmly. "I'm never going to kill any dragon."

_I'll believe it when I see it. No Hiccup keeps their word._

I sit up suddenly. "You can take your 'no Hiccup keeps their word' line and kiss my—

_SILENCE._

I stare up at him; his unblinking silver eyes are fixed on me.

There's a silence waiting to be filled.

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

The dragon sighs, almost bored. _You humans are too easy to kill. _

"Do you want a challenge?" I ask angrily.

A sudden flash of hate for this dragon and a crazy desire to kill this beast overwhelms me.

_See? _The voice comes again, quietly mocking. _Every. Hiccup. Kills. Every single one._

I glare at him. "I won't!"

_Don't try it, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I've read this book. I know the ending._


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: :-D We are nearing the end!...sort of, LOL. I can't see how to wrap this up yet, but I'm getting ideas...! So stay tuned!**

* * *

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

_We will feast at sunset! _Metal announces to his comrades.

I let myself fall back against the rock with a thud and resign myself to it: I'm going to die.

But it's…strange. In the heat of the moment, when facing the Venom Wind in the forest or by Astrid's house, I didn't feel anxious at all. No fear. I was just afraid for Toothless.

But now? Well, now, I'm scared. For myself.

All I can do is wait until sunset and they will eat me.

When the sun starts setting, the sky turns crimson and Venom Winds gather around me, their eyes glowing red, a bloodred crimson, pain promised in those glowing points of light.

Metal steps forward and opens his mighty jaws. I just close my eyes, feeling saliva drip down onto my face, waiting for the pain.

Pain must be coming.

But all is still.

I squint one eye open and see one of the other Venom Winds shoving his way forward as well. He looks to Metal for reassurance that that was an acceptable move on his part, but Metal's eyes are cold.

Cold as the substance for which I named him.

I shudder, feeling a startling flash of pity for the other Venom Wind as Metal closes his jaws around, not my neck, but the Venom Wind's.

The other Venom Wind goes entirely limp and falls softly to the ground, without warning.

There's an instant uproar, and some other dragons come rushing forward, beating their star-studded wings angrily.

The little glowing points of cold white light sparkle on their magnificent scales.

The dragons that were angered by the first Venom Wind's death rush forward and scratch and bite and claw at Metal.

At first I think Metal's finished, but then I see him biting harder and killing more.

There are so many loud roars and every dragon's attention is fixed solely on the fight; it's the perfect moment.

I manage to slip away quickly and run, run as fast and hard as I can, down long, twisting tunnels made of rock.

There's an eerie red light that glows softly, casting dim, flickering shadows on the walls of the tunnel.

I quickly run down the length of the tunnel and squeeze out of it quickly, breathing fresh, clean air.

So the dragon only took me to the Venom Wind nest.

I quickly look around, mentally mapping out the place. I recognize this place.

It's near the vampire coven's house.

Yes, we have actual vampires. They don't kill the people of Berk, though. These vampires drink dragon blood.

Personally, I wouldn't think building a dragon nest here would be the best idea, seeing as dragons are only just a bit faster than vampires.

It'd be hard for a weak or injured dragon to outrun a vampire.

I sigh, push my hair back out of my eyes and run to the edge of the clearing, where I'm at last out of sight to the entrance of the dragon nest.

I run as fast as I can, breathing heavily and sharply, trying to catch my breath.

Then I hurtle to Astrid's house.

I've got to see Toothless.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Uh-oh. XD Toothless is MAD. And YES, I know there is some OOC moments for a certain...character *cough, cough* but this is MY version, not the real one.**

* * *

_YOU MEAN YOU WERE IN DANGER AND YOU DIDN'T CALL FOR ME?!_

I flinch back from Toothless' angry green gaze. "They would have killed you, bud!"

But even if there's too much truth in this for the dragon to reasonably ignore, Toothless keeps glaring. _I can't believe you! _

I sigh. "Toothless…"

There's no fighting THAT glare, though.

* * *

But then something happened to change everything.

I knew my father would never agree, but here I am at breakfast, the morning after Toothless had the mini freak-out. "Dad?" I try.

He glances up from his newspaper. "What do you want?" His voice is low and cold.

I glance up at him. "Dad, things are getting REALLY dangerous for Toothless…could you please just allow him to stay the night? Just a trial?"

Toothless is in too much danger. The Venom Winds are getting way more active.

Dad's gaze never leaves mine. "He stays in your room. At. All. Times."

I nod, gratitude flowing through me. "Thank you!"

He sighs. "I must be crazy, Hiccup. Tell me I'm crazy?"

I nod. "Okay, you're crazy. But thank you so much!"

I leave for school shortly after that conversation and find Astrid waiting for me outside the school. The bell hasn't rung yet.

"Hey," I tell her with a smile.

She raises a brow. "You look happy."

"Dad's letting Toothless stay as a trial," I say with a grin. "How cool is that?"

She nods. "Very cool! That rocks, Hiccup!" She throws her arms around my neck, but then pulls away. "Wait, did he just say it?"

"Well, no, I asked him again first, but—

"Why'd you ask again?"

I shrug uncomfortably. "Well, it was more of a—

"Hiccup, _what happened?" _

I sigh. "Astrid, nothing really happened!"

There's a silence.

"Hiccup?" Her voice is low and probing.

I bite my lip. "Astrid, it's just…ok, the Venom Winds are getting more active by the day. I can't ignore that."

"You know I'd protect him—

"A Venom Wind already found him once, Astrid."

There's a silence as Astrid digests this.

I look at her. "That's a risk that I'm not willing to take. Okay?"

* * *

Toothless curls up in the floor beside my bed and torches the wood around him, quickly patting out the dying embers with his feet and curling into a ball, his wings shielding his body and his tail hiding his face.

I smile and slump down against my pillows.

I know I'll wake up if anything tries to come for him.

I drift off into a light sleep.

When I next open my bleary eyes, the curtains are drawn around my windowpanes and the clock reads: 5:15 a.m.

I close my eyes with the intention of getting more sleep, but…there's something there that doesn't belong.

It's not another Venom Wind, though; I would hear its pitiless voice in my head.

Instead, there's a large, dark shape in my room, which is dimly lit with moonlight.

I squint at the shape, my eyes still blurring everything. I blink a few times, rub my eyes and squint harder.

The shape holds something in its large, meaty hand…it's holding a gun.

I stifle a cry and lie silently, waiting for something to happen…

The shape approaches Toothless, still curled up on the floor. The shape slowly, cautiously lifts Toothless' wings and tightens its finger on the trigger of the gun.

Toothless begins blearily opening his eyes, and several things happen in quick succession: I jump off my bed, bolt over to the light switch and turn it on, temporarily blinding the shape.

I wrench the gun from the person's hands and say, "Stay away from Toothless!"

With a shock, I realize who I'm shouting at.

"You?" I whisper faintly, completely unprepared for this total betrayal.

"Why did you try to kill Toothless, Dad?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Ok, thanks to all my reviewers, particularly Saphirabrightscale, for without her/him this story would have gone forever unfinished on here! Also, some more father-son angst. Katelin-Sky123, Hiccup sort of tells Stoick off in this chapter...LOL**

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Dad stares at me, but his eyes are unfocused. "Hiccup, this Night Fury would kill you while you slept!"

"No, he would not!" I retort angrily. "Toothless is a good dragon!"

Toothless is fully awake, now, watching the argument with interest. _Hey, Hiccup, what's this rotund man doing here?_

I give him a glare to tell him this isn't the time and turn back to Dad, who is saying heatedly, "Good dragon? Do you hear yourself? 'Dragons won't hurt us, Dad, they won't'!" His voice goes high and mocking as he talks.

I cross my arms. "I don't give a damn who you think you are, you are going to stay away from my dragon!" My voice rises as I speak.

With a slight shock, I realize I'm yelling at him.

Dad draws back. "Shouldn't you be thanking me? This beast would have killed you!" He gestures angrily to Toothless, who begins to growl as he hears what's being said.

I just shrug and begin pulling on my jacket.

"What are you doing?" Dad demands, eyes trained on me as I climb on Toothless' back.

"What does it look like?" I retort. "I'm not staying here."

Toothless' extra height makes me have to look down on Dad, who is now looking thunderstruck.

But slowly, his face changes to form a sneer. "Where are you going to go?"

A flicker of doubt flashes in my eyes. "Somewhere. Anywhere but here."

Then I reluctantly climb down from Toothless' back and move to start opening the windows.

I unlatch the window quickly and jump on to Toothless' back.

"LEAVE AND YOU WILL REGRET IT!" Dad practically spits.

I ignore him and Toothless and I start running across my bedroom floor.

His loping gait jolts me and eventually we make it into the black night sky.

I take a deep breath of fresh air and glance up at the star-studded sky, reminding me horribly of the Venom Winds' wings.

I sigh and whisper, "Toothless, we should not have done that."

_I don't care, Hiccup. That fat pig was probably going to kill you, too. The smell of spite whenever he looked at you…_

Toothless shook himself uncomfortably.

I let my hand slide of Toothless' head and say quietly, "Toothless, we should not have done this."

There's a silence.

"If I fly you to the cove and then I walk back—

_No._

"What?"

_I expect you to take care of yourself. Going back to the rotund one isn't going to help you at all._

I sigh. "I have nowhere else to go, Toothless," I tell him miserably. "Hate to break it to you, but the 'rotund one' is my father."

There's a long silence.

_You never told me how awful he was._

I look at his saddle. "He's not…awful, he—

_Hiccup, he hates you!_

"I…I know, I just…"

_Yes?_

There's another silence, shorter than the last. "Nothing."

* * *

When we get to the cove, which is the first place I think of, I sigh and say reluctantly, "Well, bud, it's about time for me to start heading to school."

_Let me fly._

"What will you do to get back here?"

_I'll wait outside the school. Or I'll run here._

I sigh. "Fine."

So Toothless takes to the air again happily and we land outside the school in seconds.

I give him a quick hug around the neck. "You'll be okay, won't you?"

Toothless gives me his 'you-underestimate-me' look and settles down to wait.

I smile and run inside, spotting Astrid chatting to the others.

I look at them, their smiles bright and eager. They look happy.

They look…let's be honest, to me, they all look fake.

I sigh and purposely veer around them. After what happened to me this morning, I really don't feel like talking to anyone today.

Astrid sees me and starts to wave but I ignore her and keep my head down, heading for English.

It's practically empty, seeing as I got here pretty early, so I lay my head down on the desk, feeling cool wood against my cheek.

I sigh and lift my head again, then realize the wooden surface has drops of water.

I realize they are tears and I quickly wipe them away with the sleeve of my jacket.

I press my forehead against the desk.

"Hiccup?"

I raise my head to see Astrid standing over me, eyes fixed on my face. "Hiccup, what's wrong?" She slides her arms around me.

I pull away from her embrace. "It's nothing."

"Hiccup…"

"I'm an idiot, okay?" I snap at her. "I really thought Dad cared, but it was just another lie."

She puts her arms around me. "Oh, Hiccup, what happened?"

"Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Hiccup, seriously, what happened?"

"Leave me alone, Astrid."

"Hiccup—

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Ok...where'd we stop? Ah, yes, Hiccup had just yelled and had major angst with Astrid because of some previous angst with his dad. ;-) Ah, there's just so much angst!**

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When I get out of school, I see Toothless, standing there, ears upright, head cocked, listening.

And other dragons stand a few feet away: a few Venom Winds but also a Monstrous Nightmare.

They're all badly injured; the Venom Winds have holes in their starry wings and one of them walks with a limp. The Nightmare is missing an eye and looks very nervous.

Toothless is clearly seriously considering whatever they're saying.

At first all I hear is shrill shrieking and popping noises, but soon I hear words in the sound: _Think about it. The rotund one tried to kill you, Night Fury._

My heart starts beating faster. Whatever those dragons are saying to Toothless, it really can't be good.

"Toothless!" I call, running for him. "Toothless!"

Toothless looks around at me, eyes wild. _Hiccup, give me a minute._

"Toothless, _no! _We're getting out of here, come on!"

_Hiccup, I'm trying to talk_—

"To riffraff!" I retort, casting the Nightmare, the one who was speaking, the evil eye. He definitely deserves this. "Toothless, bud, you gotta get out of here, okay?"  
Toothless gives the dragons one last longing look before allowing me to climb onto his back and flying away with me.

Hard as I try to make him go to the cove, though, he sets me down in front of my house.

"Toothless, bud, what—

_Hiccup, I think you need to talk to your father. Make him understand._

"Toothless…"

I climb off his back. "Toothless, I ran away from home! I'm not coming back, I'm _never _coming back here—

_And you'll die with your pride, but lose your life nonetheless._

The words actually catch and hold my attention. "What?"

_Think about it, Hiccup. Think! You have no food, water, clothes or ANYTHING. Sooner or later, you're gonna have to let go of your pride and either ask your friends for help or start begging on street corners. _

_Go, Hiccup._

I sigh and turn back to face the door. "Ok. Ok, I can do this."

I slowly knock and hear Dad's shuffling gait as he opens the door. "Yes?"

Then he sees me and his eyes turn cold. "Come in here."

I unwillingly cross the threshold of my house.

Dad grabs me and pins me against the wall. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD RUN AWAY?"

I struggle feebly against him. "Dad—

His hands curl into fists and he begins punching every inch of me that remains exposed. "Did you really think—

_ENOUGH._

The word is yelled, screamed, shouted, ripped from Toothless' throat as he sets the room aflame and leaps on Dad, snarling. His teeth go for Dad's throat.

"Toothless!"

But I sense he's beyond my control. Beyond any human's control, really.

Dad fights against the Night Fury. "You—

Toothless glares at him. _One more word and you die rotund one._

Dad doesn't hear and grabs Toothless by the snout, but quickly releases him with a cry as Toothless carelessly singes his hands.

Dad gives a cry of pain and holds his hand at the wrist.

Toothless' jaws close around his neck and…

"Toothless, no, Toothless!"

Toothless turns to me, dark fire burning in his green eyes. _I was wrong. You were wrong. Dragons and people cannot live together. After the rebellion, I was certain of that. But then you came along and fooled me into thinking otherwise. But humans are just like him. _

"What the dragons were talking to you about," I suddenly recall. "They were trying to convince you…Oh, God, Toothless—

Toothless' face is grim as he turns to me. _That's right. The second rebellion starts today._


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Uh-oh! :O The rebellion has begun! To quote Cressida Cowell...XD**

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The heat in the room seems to intensify as I think on this.

Toothless is watching me nervously. _Hiccup—_

"Why didn't you stop them? Or tell me?" Betrayal chills me to the bone.

Toothless suddenly looks the millions of years old that I never actually believed he was. _I was going to. _

"When?"

_I'm not sure._

I turn away from him. "We've got to do something about the rebellion, Toothless. The dragons will kill these people, all these innocent people and they'll kill these innocent dragons. Not again, ok? I don't want any more blood spilled anymore." Suddenly I find myself so tired. Not physically, but emotionally. I'm just ready to lie down and sleep, so I never have to face all this pain and killing ever again.

_It's too late, Hiccup._

"Toothless—

_No! It's too late, don't you understand? These dragons might hunker down and wait, but a hundred years or even a million years from now, there will be someone just like you. Someone willing to befriend a dragon, whatever the cost. History repeats itself._

I glare at him. "That's NOT true! Humans and dragons CAN be friends, but history will NOT repeat itself, because I won't let it! I'm not looking to crush the dragons' free will, don't you get that? I'm trying to _give _them a free will!"

_Open your eyes, Hiccup. A millennia from now, dragons will still be dragons and humans will still be humans. You can't stop the rebellion by simply asking the dragons pretty please. Ok? This thing has been planned for decades, maybe even centuries. They're not gonna back down easily._

I turn around and walk out of the house. "Where are the dragons who have been planning the rebellion?" I demand of Toothless, who followed me out.

He shrugs. _In Raven's Point, I think. There's been a strange atmosphere around that place for months now. People that go there are never heard from again._

I shudder involuntarily. "Ok. Um, let's do this."

_How?_

I shrug. "I have no idea, Toothless, but that dragon queen battle was the last time I'm going to allow my friends and family to get hurt. Okay?"

I start running towards Raven's Point.

_Hiccup, you make it REALLY hard to keep you safe, you know that?_

"So, don't," I counter.

_I can't do that. If you didn't have my protection, you'd be killed within five minutes. It'd be different if you were just one of those ordinary people who are danger magnets, but NO. YOU have to go and meet trouble halfway._

"Oh, shut up," I quip and pick up my pace. Toothless runs beside me easily, barely out of breath.

I quickly reach the cove where I first met Toothless and stop dead. "Hey, remember this place?" Despite the fact that this is not the time, I'm caught by memories.

Toothless nods.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps behind me. "Hiccup, what's going on?!"

"What?" I whip around to see Astrid standing there, braid tangled and messy, cheeks pink, eyes clouded with confusion. "What on earth is going on? I was just walking by Raven's Point and all of a sudden, a dragon jumped out and tried to bite me!"

"What did you do?" I demand.

"Do?" she repeats faintly. "I realized it was out of shots and I punched it!"

I shake my head. "Oh, Astrid! You just made a huge mistake, the dragons have been planning a rebellion!"

Astrid's eyes slowly drift out of focus. "What?"

"They've been planning a rebellion!" I groan and bury my face into my hands. "They've been planning it all this time and Toothless knew about it!"

_Whoa, I only just found out—_

"TOOTHLESS knew about it?" Astrid appears as shocked as I was. "But…but…"

I just nod silently.

_I only just found out about it, you numbskull! Get with the times, will you?! It's not like I was keeping anything from you or planning to join in to rip out some human throats myself!_

"Hey, you can hush!" I retort. "You nearly killed my father!"

Astrid looks aghast at this new piece of information. "What?"

_He was going to kill you, Hiccup! You think I can't sense that?_

I hesitate. "Dad wouldn't—

"Guys…"

I look up to see Astrid saying, "Guys, this really isn't the time to be having a full-blown drama, you do realize?"

"Let's just look for the dragons," I tell her. "I might be able to stop them."

She gives me 'you-sure-about-that?' look and I sigh. "I'm not completely useless, you know."

Astrid raises her eyebrow, looking offended, but I ignore her and we walk on a little until I smell a vile scent of rain mixed with…gasoline and dead grass and something sickly sweet, like a decaying corpse.

I wrinkle my nose and Astrid sniffs the air, making a disgusted little sound in the back of her throat.

I take her hand and pull her along, pointing to the Venom Wind nest.

We crawl up the tunnel, trying to be quiet, knowing dragons have way better hearing than people do.

I quickly stifle a gasp when I see a cavern filled with dragons of all kinds: Venom Winds, Gronckles, Zipplebacks, Skrills, Scauldrons, Nadders, Terrors, Thunderdrums, Nightmares and a single albino Night Fury.

Metal is excitedly announcing something to the other dragons.

_We attack at sunset!_


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Uh, yeah...here's chappie 18.**

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_But what about One-Eye? _One of the Gronckles asks.

_One-Eye was useless. He was clumsy, half-blind and refused to follow orders. It's better that he's dead. The humans will think he's just gone rogue._

_Too bad we couldn't get the other Night Fury, _the albino Night Fury muses, her voice sweet and clear, like the chiming of sweet bells in my head. _He would have been a useful asset._

_We can more than make up for him with you, Snow White, _Metal assures her. _You are ten times better than that useless little human-lover is._

Toothless gives a low growl. _You better watch your step, you self-centered little slob._

Astrid silences Toothless with a glare.

I shoot her a grateful look, but the dragons quickly recapture my attention.

Snow White, if that is indeed her name, smiles prettily. _Thank you. But still, all the same, you can't just pretend that a another Night Fury wouldn't make such a big difference—_

_Snow White?_

_Yes?_

_Shut up._

_Ok._

I hear another voice join. _She's…really pretty._

HUH? I look around for the source of the thought, hoping sincerely that that's not MY voice, because it sounded all…gooey. And the albino Night Fury had just spoken.

I see Toothless completely spellbound, eyes fixed on the white Fury. _Oh, wow, she's beautiful._

Metal continues, completely unaware that one member of his party has just gained the attention of my dragon.

Which is just…eww.

I mean…it's just gross. And weird.

I turn my attention back to Metal, catching his words. _Now, we attack at sunset. First we torch the public places. The place people are most likely to be. _

_Ooh, there's a place they call a 'mall'! _Snow White reports excitedly. _I heard two human girls talking about it, like it's a highlight of this town!_

_Excellent, _Metal purrs. _You have done well to tell me this, Snow White. _

Toothless moans.

I shoot him a look that says both, 'pull-yourself-together' and 'be-quiet'.

Toothless gazes back at me, emerald eyes unblinking.

I go back to the dragons' conversation, promising myself I'll deal with Toothless later.

Metal is speaking again. _Any other places, lovely?_

Snow White shakes her glistening, white head. _No. _Snow White really is a beautiful dragon and her name hits home: her scales are white – whiter, actually – than snow. _I don't think so._

Toothless gives the most human-like sigh I have ever heard come out of a dragon's mouth and quickly turns his attention back on Metal.

I look at the Venom Wind, too.

Metal is hissing, spitting. _You have done well, Snowy. If that is all, we shall attack at sunset. Wait here until then, all of you._

The other dragons all nod and Metal spreads wide his great, star-studded wings and takes to the air inside the little, warm nest.

He starts flying towards the tunnel.

"Oh…" I moan. "Toothless, bud, he'll see us! Can you do anything…?"

But Toothless, it seems, is already one step ahead of me. He wraps Astrid and me in his wings and holds us close against his unpleasantly hot scales.

Metal shoots past, wings beating so furiously that he's just a silvery, starry blur in this darkened tunnel. It seems no sunlight has been shed upon this place in years. The dim lighting might have just saved our tails.

And Metal notices nothing. He flies so close in the narrow passage that Toothless has to hold us closer to him, but Metal doesn't even know we're there.

Toothless' dark body cloaks us like we're invisible.

Toothless releases us instantly and I whisper, "Thanks, bud. We owe you one."

_You're welcome._

Toothless glances back at the door with the other dragons in it. _If you're gonna talk to them, now's your chance. The Venom Wind basically controls them and when he's around, the others don't think like themselves. I can…sense it._

I nod. "Thanks, bud."

I run through the tunnel and hear Astrid shout, "Wait! What are you doing?"

"Shh!" I hiss at her and come into the room filled with dragons.

The dragons all look at me.

_Lunch? _Hisses a Venom Wind.

_Maybe a little practice for sundown? _Offers up a Gronckle.

"Listen to me!" I call to them. "Just listen! You do not need to go through with this!"

_He talks, _the Venom Wind hisses in shock.

_He is a human, _a Nightmare replies. _Just kill him where he stands and be done with it._

"You don't need to rebel!" I desperately plead. "If you stop this rebellion, humans and dragons will be equals! I know this can happen! This can happen, if it's given the chance!"

_How did he find out about the rebellion? _Demands a Nadder of her neighbors.

_It seems my kind has betrayed us, _comes a sweet voice, though it's cold as ice when it speaks.

Looking up, I see it's the albino Night Fury speaking.

Toothless moans. _It's true, guys, humans really aren't so bad!_

_One of them tried to kill you! _Snow White roars at him. _Think about that awhile, filthy little human-lover!_

Toothless roars angrily. _Human-lover?! What are we, in middle school? Human-lover? I am not a human-lover just because I'm defending a species that's not my own! I'm saying what I must to protect the innocent!_

Snow White blinks for a second, seriously considering those words.

_Humans are innocent, _Toothless pleads. _Some are ignorant, but they are all innocent._

_What about the one that tried to kill you? _Snow White demands, without any real challenge in her voice.

_He's not just ignorant, he's a monstrosity, _Toothless growls. _But my human cares about him, so, hard as it is, I will turn a blind eye to that particular pig's deeds._

Snow White nods a little and two Nadders, five Gronckles and…_sixteen Nightmares _come over to us hesitantly.

But that's only twenty-four dragons on our side, and easily about three hundred on the other.

The rebellion is still too big to stop, and not a whole lot of those dragons look ready to shake hands and stop this thing in its tracks.

I swallow. "But for this rebellion to work," I say quietly, "it's not just dragons that have done wrong. Most of my kind would see this as the deepest betrayal, but I confess…humans are ignorant and sometimes even unreasonably cruel. But we are not unreasonable in some areas, and I solemnly swear that, if this rebellion is to continue, all the people of Berk will lay down our weapons and allow you to either proceed with the attack or leave in peace. Either way, my town will not raise a hand against any dragon here. I swear it."

Snow White spreads wide her milky white wings and flies slowly over to our side.

I hear one of the dragons muttering to his neighbor, _Great, that's our only Night Fury lost! NightSky's gonna be mad…_

I briefly consider the matter of who 'NightSky' is, but quickly shove the thought out of my mind. I have more pressing matters to deal with.

"That's it," I mutter encouragingly to Snow White, whom Toothless is now shooting glowing looks. I turn to the other dragons again.

"There has been fault on BOTH sides," I tell them. "But together, we can stop this rebellion. Humans and dragons might make mistakes, but we humans will lay down our weapons if you dragons will release your hate."

There are a lot of muttering and some low growls.

_What's up with this toothpick trying to come and calm us?_

_Oh, yeah? And what you gonna do if we don't agree to 'release our hate'? _A Nadder sneers.

I sigh and say quietly, "Then human blood will be spilled and some of the humans in this world will pick their weapons back up and spill dragon blood. And what is the point of all this fighting?"

_He understands us? _The Nadder hisses.

And suddenly, dragons are closing in around me, suffocating me.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Things are heating up...! I actually get the feeling this fanfiction is not all that great, so I may end up taking it down once it's finished. Just so my readers can see the end.**

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_Get back! _Toothless warns, stepping in front of me. _I'm warning you! All of you!_

A Venom Wind stops in her tracks for a moment, her silver eyes glittering. Then, they suddenly turn crimson and she claws at Toothless with her razor-like talons.

Toothless gasps and hisses, spreading wide his wings, encircling Astrid and I protectively.

Snow White does the same with her wings, and little by little, all the other dragons slowly spread their wings, too, and join Toothless and Snow White in their protective circle of us.

Astrid grips my wrist tightly. "Hiccup, they're…they're protecting us."

I can hardly stomach it, either. I mean, just a few minutes ago, these very dragons were seriously considering eating Astrid and I.

_How does he understand us? _A Nadder hisses. _How? How?_

I take a step forward, still enclosed in the protective circle of Toothless. "I don't really understand how I hear dragons," I tell him. "But I do, and that's that."

I hear a faint dripping noise and look around, realizing that Toothless' blood is steadily dripping off his lightly veined black wing like tears and onto the torn sleeve of my shirt.

I believe that torn sleeve is a direct result from either the tussle with my father or from when the Venom Wind attempted to burn me alive.

Either way, it makes me look a little less than impressive and suddenly I understand why some of these dragons instantly saw me as snack potential when we first came here.

We look too weak to defend ourselves. Toothless is clearly hurting from the gash in his wing, but dragons and humans alike stand firm.

"What does it even matter that I can speak to dragons?" I demand. I'm so ready to figure out why all dragons react so badly to finding out my strange ability.

_The last human that was able to communicate with dragons this way, _begins Snow White in her soft voice, _was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second._

I gasp.

There's a tense silence at the mention of my ancestor.

"But I'm nothing like him!" I protest.

_You harbor the same name and befriended the same Night Fury. That is enough._

"I would _never, never _do to Toothless what Hiccup the Second did," I tell the dragons shakily. "Ever!"

The dragons begin muttering amongst themselves and one extracts himself from the group. _It is nearing sundown and we are very weary. Come and talk with us. We will spare you one hour. If your chatter does not convince or amuse us, if instead you waste sixty precious minutes making empty threats or false promises that are bound to be broken, we shall all kill you at the end of that hour._

I swallow and nod. "Okay."

Of course, Astrid has no idea what's going on, so she just looks at me. "Hiccup, what's going on?"

"They're giving us an hour," I whisper back. "An hour to talk them out of this rebellion."

"And if we can't?"

I meet her gaze steadily. "We die. And the rest of Berk goes down with us."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I'm back! I couldn't very well leave Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless and of course, the newest member, Snow White, hanging, could I? ;-) Anyway...thanks for the review Saphirabrightscale! :-) Yes, she is an albino Night Fury because I think Snow Furies and stuff are a little weird. But whatever floats these people's boats!**

* * *

We talk to the dragons for a long time.

Well, I say 'we' but of course it's just me talking to them.

Astrid mostly just listens.

The dragons are clearly listening, too.

Eventually, one Nightmare says, _So perhaps all this warring is pointless after all._

"Exactly!" I exclaim, relieved.

Astrid tugs at my sleeve. "What are they saying?"

I quickly relate what they said to her in a whisper.

The few dragons we have managed to convince in the first fifteen minutes of this hour come over to stand by the dragons on our side.

I shoot them all grateful looks. I notice no Venom Winds have come over to our side yet.

The dragons keep listening as we talk.

"So, as you can see," I conclude at the end of the hour, "there's really no reason to rebel at all."

The Venom Wind nods. _Yes, I see._

I'm holding my breath. My hands are trembling. In fact, I think my entire body is shaking uncontrollably.

Finally, the Venom Wind says quietly, _Your chatter has been entertaining and your words flattering. Your tone has been convincing and your story pitiful. But you have not convinced me. Prepare to die._

I shoot to my feet. "What?"

The Venom Wind jumps on me and begins clawing at my chest.

Luckily the wound doesn't run deep enough to be fatal.

I attempt to shove the dragon off me, but he is far bigger and stronger than I am.

I close my eyes, waiting for the end.

But suddenly, there's a loud roar. _NOBODY MESSES WITH MY HUMAN WHEN I'M AROUND, YOU FLASHY LITTLE DOUCHE BAG!_

I will admit, I am impressed by Toothless' choice of words.

Toothless closes his jaws around the Venom Wind's starry neck, but it's over so quickly I'm not really sure if the dragon's really dead or not.

"Hiccup!" Suddenly, there's a pain in my back and I groan in pain. "HICCUP!"

Turning around, I see a dragon is licking her chops. I feel blood soaking my shirt, now torn to ribbons.

I stand.

Astrid has a streak of dirt on her face, her braid coming undone. "Hiccup, what did we say?"

"It wasn't us, Astrid," I tell her tiredly. "It was them."

Suddenly, a Nightmare swoops in, holding two guns in her talons.

What did she do, rob the gun range? Which I wouldn't put past her, but I push this thought out of my head.

"Is this dragon trying to help us?" Astrid asks, staring in shock as the Nightmare drops the guns at our feet.

The Nightmare meets my eyes solemnly. _History repeats itself._

The message is loud and clear and it's for me and me alone.

Astrid picks up one of the guns. "Excellent, I—

"No!" I grab the gun out of her hand and throw it somewhere behind us. "We are not shooting them!"

"Honestly, Hiccup!" Bright pink patches blaze in Astrid's cheeks as she scans the crowd of dragons for the lost gun. "You take your pacifist tendencies too far, you know that?"

"I'm not a pacifist!" I tell her with as much dignity as I can manage. "This is a mistake, shooting the dragons is a mistake!"

A dragon sends a fireball our way and we're forced to separate. "TRUST ME!" I yell just before I find myself forty feet away from her.

Astrid sits up and screams, "What do you suggest we do, Dragon Boy?"

"Let us go!" I call to the Venom Wind who bit me. "Please, let us go! This does not HAVE to happen! This…is pathetic! Brother fighting brother, dragon and human alike spilling blood…this does not have to happen! Please listen to me!"

I find tears streaming down my face, real tears, probably triggered from fear or sadness or both.

The Venom Wind comes at me and slashes my shoulder with her talons. I keep myself up for a few minutes, but I slowly watch blood blossoming from my sleeve and I see black spots on the edges of my vision…

Oh, God, Hiccup, don't pass out now.

Astrid sees me and the horror is clear in her face.

Got to get up. Got to fight.

I drag myself upright and ignore my shoulder. Oddly, it really doesn't hurt that much.

It's just a dull ache and after a few minutes, even that fades.

I fight with everything I have, but it's clear that's not enough.

Suddenly, I watch Astrid fighting and I know neither of us will last much longer. The dragons are pouring in on us by the thousands and we will never be able to hold them all at bay…

"Astrid!" I shout.

She turns to face me. "Hiccup, kinda busy right now!" She ducks a Venom Wind's fireball.

"Astrid, get on Snow White's back!" I call.

"Hiccup, you're barely keeping them off yourself, you think with me gone—?"

"Just do it!" I holler and her terror makes her unexpectedly obedient.

She climbs onto Snow White's back. "I'm not leaving you, I—

I climb onto Toothless' back. "Toothless, bud, get us outta here, please!"

"Uh, Snow White, I really don't know you that well, but if you save my life, I will—

I never get to hear Astrid finish her bribe because we're suddenly up in the air, surging through the tunnel and Toothless uses his tail to take out some of the Venom Winds that are attempting to follow us…

Suddenly, clear, sweet, fresh air slaps me in the face and I gulp it down as though I've never breathed properly before.

The Venom Winds attempt to chase us, but Toothless and Snow White make it too high for the Venom Winds to follow.

Night Furies are what are known as, 'high-flying' dragons, which means they can fly higher than any regular dragon, even where there is very little oxygen.

So that's where they fly and, when we lose sight of them, they fly us lower again, intensely aware of our human needs.

Astrid and I look at each other, and I whisper, "We did it. Oh, buddy, you are amazing, thank you!"

_Breathing okay? _He asks me nervously. _Sorry about that, I just knew Venom Winds couldn't go as high as Night Furies…_

"Toothless, you saved my life," I tell him honestly. "We could've been killed fifty times over without you. Thank you."

_What are friends for?_

"OK," I turn to Astrid, my face grim. "Now comes the time to warn about the rebellion."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Next chapter! :D I've finished this fanfic, so I'll probably post the last few chapters tonight. :-)**

* * *

We fly low, landing in the middle of the town square.

There are people milling about, and I mutter to Astrid, "So, what do we do now?"  
Normally, I'm the person with the plan but this time I'm just kind of…unsure on what to do here.

Astrid calls really loudly, _"HEY!" _

All over the square, people turn to look at her.

Astrid places her hands on her hips. "Listen very closely, or we're all gonna die."

That gets everyone's attention.

"Warn your family and your friends because a dragon rebellion is coming!" Astrid warns.

Everyone stares at her.

A badly shaven man steps forward. "Then what about those two overgrown reptiles over there? What are they doing here, handing out candy?"

Toothless growls, his ears going low on his head in anger. _Oh, keep talking, you fat pig. I would just love a chance to draw some blood…_

"Toothless!" I snap. "No!"

Everyone's attention is drawn to me and I feel awkward. I feel like saying, "Carry on, everyone", but that's probably not a good idea.

"They're against the rebellion," Astrid replies simply. "But there's about five hundred dragons left and only about two hundred people in this village. Guys, they're gonna kill us."

There's a tense silence.

Then everyone starts going into a panic.

"People, wait!" I call desperately. "It doesn't HAVE to be like this!"

Everyone turns to stare at me again.

I swallow and speak a little louder. "If the…if the dragons are really gonna go through with the rebellion, they're gonna go through with it no matter what. But maybe all it will take for them to stop and think would be to see that we're not going to hurt them."

"They're invading our home!" one brave soul shouts from the heart of the crowd. "I say we all collect our sharpest knives and some shotguns and—

"Hey, shut up, redneck!" Astrid calls to him, and I give a slightly hysterical laugh.

"No!" I call quickly. "We lay down our weapons. We leave our weapons in the middle of the town square. If you all listen to me, then everything will work out! If we attack the dragons…"

_History repeats itself._

"…Then it's just mindless violence. The dragons will NOT hurt us if we do the sensible thing and lay down our weapons. Leave every weapon you own in the town square and go into your homes. I will be here, alone, waiting to speak with the dragons once they arrive."

"And when will they arrive?" asks somebody from the crowd.

"At sundown, under the cover of darkness," I tell him. "But it doesn't matter that we won't be able to see them at first."

"You can't shoot what you can't see!"

"No, that's not what we should do!" I cry out desperately. "Please, listen to me!"

Tears of desperation and frustration form in my eyes.

"No, listen to me!"

I quickly explain the plan again and everyone reluctantly agrees.

Astrid goes to make sure no one has any weapons on them and everyone departs for their homes in their cars, bringing with them every weapon in their houses.

I spot the growing pile and sigh in relief. Once the dragons see we're truly not going to fight, they'll leave us alone.

After awhile, I feel a sudden spurt of nervousness when I realize the sky is turning crimson and going redder, but shot through with gold.

The color of blood.

Toothless nudges my hand with his soft, scaly nose. _Hiccup, are you okay? _

I nod. "Just fine, bud. It'll be okay. Won't it?"

Toothless stares solemnly up at me. _Hiccup, if some of these dragons are Venom Winds, they are still going to attack. You know that, don't you?_

I shiver suddenly. "No. They won't. They _won't."_

_You're kidding yourself._

History repeats itself. Why do those words keep coming back to me?

I sigh and shake my head. "I know, Toothless. But I can't do anything!" Anger at my helpless state suddenly courses through me.

"I can't do anything!"

Toothless backs off. _Whoa. Hiccup, you need to go…cool off somewhere before you speak to the dragons. You're just gonna piss 'em off with that attitude._

I flush, realizing I was shouting. "I'm sorry."

Toothless acknowledges my weak apology with a nod. _It's fine. Seriously, watch your tongue around these things, okay?_

"You're gonna be there, aren't you?" An odd sense of being exposed comes to me as I think about facing those things without Toothless.

I know it's selfish. I know Toothless needs to think of himself first. But I really just need him there.

Toothless nods. _Of course. I'm not leaving you with an aggressive goon as your only protection._

"Hey!" I argue. "Astrid is not an aggressive goon!"

Toothless gives a dragon-y chuckle, but sobers quickly. _Hiccup, it might not work, ok? What are you gonna do if your brilliant plan doesn't work?_

I swallow. "Then I die."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Almost done! And CHARACTER DEATH. No one to mourn, though, LOL.**

* * *

The dragons come.

The air itself tenses and stills.

When they land, Metal pounces on me.

"No, listen!" I plead. "Please!"

He raises his claw to strike…I can almost sense Toothless coming to my rescue, but I whisper, "Not yet…"

"Please!"

He stops his paw in midair.

"Please listen to me! We are not going to hurt you!"

_History repeats itself. DO NOT KID YOURSELF, HICCUP THE THIRD._

I shout to him frantically, "Please…" And to my surprise, real tears form and gather at the corners of my eyes.

"I just need you to listen…"

_Listen to what?_

"Me," I reply shakily. "If you look, you can see in the town square…see, we have cast aside our weapons and wish to talk instead."

_So, you have been planning treachery?_

"No!"

_All your weapons are easily reachable, Hiccup the Third._

"We're not going to use them!"

_Do not kid yourself!_

"We won't!"

_History repeats itself._

Then his claw is coming back and there's nothing to stop it. I'm going to die.

I'm prepared for the pain now. I died trying and that is all that matters.

I squeeze my eyes shut, expecting tears. But my eyes are bone dry. Strange how death calms me, takes away my panic.

In the heat of the moment, all I can think is, _I don't want to die. _But now that it's actually happening, I'm pretty much okay.

I swallow. _Goodbye, Astrid. Goodbye, Toothless. Goodbye, Dad, goodbye Gobber._

But just as I think it's about to end, as I wait for pain and blackness and death, I hear a gunshot.

It's like the sound of death to my ears and my eyes fly open.

I see Metal, lying weakly at my feet, breathing shallowly. Crimson blood drips off his silvery wings like tears.

_See? _He coughs weakly. _You humans are all the same._

"Oh, no," I mutter. Locked in a world of grief, I scramble to his side and press my hand on his hurt wing, trying to staunch the blood, but I know it is no use.

His blood soaks through my fingers, staining my hands red and tears begin falling down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry," I whisper. "Oh, Metal, I didn't want this to happen…I wanted humans and dragons to live together in peace."

Just so you know, I can watch a dragon die without blubbering about it.

But this…well, this is the dragon that I've been trying to show for days that humans aren't all bad…and now, look what happened.

My kind has betrayed him.

_Metal? _The dragon repeats confusedly. _Why…are you…calling…me…that? _

Each word is an effort, sapping his strength. I can tell.

I bite my lip, realizing I called him the name I gave him to his face. I run my hand along his starry head. "I called you Metal because of your eyes. They're silver, except…except right before you're about to kill."

He stares up at me, his intelligent silver eyes gentler than the substance for which I named him. _NightSky._

Now he just sounds weak. I can tell he's about to go, but I'm praying he stays.

"Sorry," I whisper. "NightSky. Fitting."

_Why are…you…even…crying, Hiccup…the…Third?_

"I don't want you to die." The words bring more tears to my eyes, but I swipe them away and keep talking, though my voice is choked with tears. "I don't want you to die, NightSky. I don't want to have to say goodbye to you, because I know that it was my kind who did this to you. And I'm ashamed of them for that."

_Maybe…_

"What?" I whisper.

Then he fixes me with his silvery-bright stare, the color of moonlight, and says quite clearly, the words resounding in my head, the voice no longer like cold steel, but the forest at night, no longer like blood dripping slowly from a scarlet-stained knife. _Maybe…just maybe…you're not like the others._

He sucks in a breath and I slowly realize he never releases it.

The star-studded chest of this magnificent dragon never again does a steady rise and fall.

I place my head in my hands.

"HICCUP, GET UP AND FIGHT! YOU'LL BE KILLED!"

Shocked out of my grief, I turn and see Gobber, shotgun in hand, loading more bullets.

He cocks the gun.

"Don't do this!" I reach for the handle of the gun but he impatiently swats my hand away.

"Hiccup," he snaps, "kill or be killed, ok?"

"I'm not letting you take lives!"

"THEY'RE JUST DRAGONS!"

"How can you say that?"

"It's either us or them!"

"Then I choose them!"

There's a brief silence.

"Fine," Gobber says, "God willing Toothless gets you and does it painlessly."

He aims the gun at a Nightmare and I just turn away, placing my head in my hands.

I sob into my hands, then raise my head, only to be cornered by a Gronckle.

I just stare at him, waiting for him to fire the blast that will take my life.

The Gronckle stares at me. _Why isn't he attacking?_

I reply quietly, "I will never raise a hand against any dragon as long as I live."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This is the ending! Sort of. Two more chapters after! :-)**

* * *

It's like I'm in one of my old nightmares, where the dragon has cornered me and the rebellion is happening all around me…

Suddenly, just before the Gronckle fires a blast at me, I look around.

And my eyes fall on a jet-black dragon, crushing human bodies beneath his feet.

Toothless…

Just like in the last rebellion.

And suddenly, seeing it again brings back the words Metal always spat at me.

_History repeats itself._

The Gronckle opens his mouth…

And Toothless suddenly comes alive, done with his work, and jumps on top of the Gronckle.

He claws at the Gronckle, shredding scales. _TOUCH MY HUMAN AND DIE, SCUMBAG!_

"Toothless, no, please, don't do this, Toothless…"

When both dragons ignore me once again, I shout, "YOU GUYS ARE ON THE SAME SIDE!"

They both stop clawing at each other.

_I didn't know that scrawny weakling knew HOW to yell._

_Watch it, _Toothless growls back. _That's MY scrawny weakling._

I glare at them. "Stop it, both of you! This just isn't right! It's not RIGHT! This is…brother fighting brother, human fighting dragon, and I won't stand for it!"

Both of them just blink at me.

A Venom Wind sneaks up behind Toothless.

"Toothless, watch out!"

Toothless claws the dragon in the eye and the Venom Wind stumbles back, momentarily blinded, a paw on his eye.

His eye was a deep blood red for a second, but it slowly changes to bloodshot silver.

"Toothless…"

Toothless instantly charges the dragon, tearing his wings to shreds and exploding other Winds by throwing fireballs down their throats.

Astrid steps in to help, but at the last second, I yell, "No, Astrid!" and she lowers her gun, giving me a questioning look.

I pull her by the hand, closer to me. "We can't fight them."

"Gobber's doing a fine job."

"You don't understand, we're not fighting! THIS is why the dragons rebelled in the first place! It's just one useless cycle of violence, all over again! Don't you realize that?"

Astrid just stares at me; I think I have rendered her speechless.

Astrid pulls me up by the hand. "Hiccup…"

"No."

Suddenly, I see Dad coming up behind Toothless…

"Toothless!"

Instinctively, Toothless whips around and closes his jaws sharply around Dad's neck, drawing blood, and…

"TOOTHLESS!"

Toothless jerks away, horrified, but it's too late.

"Toothless…" I stumble to Dad's side, horrified, too.

But I can't bring him back. "Dad…"

Not all the apologies in the world can.

"Dad…" His eyes are blank, dead. I know he is gone.

He's not here anymore. He may have tried to kill Toothless, but he is still my father and the crying starts again.

I sit by Dad's side as a war rages around me, but I don't care.

"Dad…please, come back."

Dad stays completely motionless.

_Hiccup, get up. _Toothless' voice is gentle at first, but after a second, he says, _OH, MY GOSH HICCUP GET UP RIGHT NOW._

I stare up at him through tear-filled eyes, but I trust him with everything I have, so I stand as a Gronckle careens past me.

I know he was only trying to protect himself, I know the murder was an accident, but that doesn't change the fact that my best friend killed my father.

I stand and stare at him. "Toothless…" I just don't have any more energy to spare for him.

_Hiccup, kill or be killed._

But my decision is made already. In truth, it was made many months ago when I decided not to kill Toothless and he didn't kill me.

My decision was made for me, it was taken out of my hands and placed somewhere else and I cannot, WILL not, raise a hand against any dragon as long as I live.

My decision was made the day the Night Fury standing in front of me pressed his nose into my hand, the day he lowered his head to let me climb onto his back and I just whisper, "I will never raise a hand against any dragon as long as I live."

There's a silence.

The silence is so thick. It's impossibly loud. How can silence be so damn loud?

There's nothing but silence.

At last, Toothless says, _Then die._

"Are you going to do it?" The question rolls off my tongue before I can stop it.

There's nothing there anymore. There's no hurt or regret in Toothless' eyes as he looks at me one final time. _Goodbye, Hiccup._


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Short but it sets up nicely for the last chapter, I think. :-)**

* * *

Toothless stalks away, wings beating as he tries to fly and my heart hurts because I know without me, he will never fly again.

Tears spill down my cheeks and suddenly, I'm overcome with anger. Not at Toothless, no, but at the humans. Why is everyone being so stupid?

I angrily shout, "Guys!" There's too much going on for anyone except Astrid to hear me, but she must have a lot of faith in me, because she yells, "GUYS!" loudly enough to get EVERYONE'S attention.

"We're kind of busy, Astrid!" Gobber says, fending off a Nadder with a curtain rod.

I see he's lost his gun and his beard and hair are disheveled; he looks like he's just been fighting for his life.

Which he has. Everyone here has.

I say, just loudly enough for people to hear, "Guys! Please, put down your weapons, please!"

Gobber just stares at me for a second, but he's jolted back into action when the Nadder sets fire to his curtain rod.

He tosses it aside, letting it burn, and grabs up an abandoned pistol from the ground and prepares to shoot the Nadder.

I lurch over, wrestling with him, attempting to yank the gun away, but the barrel is aimed at me and our fingers are tight on the trigger…

Everything seems to happen in slow motion; the bullet flies from the gun, an accidental death waiting to happen.

I feel it pierce the flesh of my shoulder, cutting right through my torn sleeve, which has burnt edges, too.

I feel warm blood flowing from my arm; I see it dripping slowly onto the ground, a deep crimson color.

I feel the warmth of the blood, and it sickens me.

I feel so sick.

The world darkens and I give one final, desperate cry: "Please…guys…don't fight…anymore…"

I stare blankly at the Nadder, murmuring, "I never wanted…this to happen…" She probably can't understand me, I'm mumbling so badly, but I mutter anyway. "Please…I just…want…peace."

The last word leaves my lips just before sound and sight are ripped away from me.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: *sniff* I can't believe it's over! *sniff* :-( Goodbye guys!**

When I wake up, the room is dark; all the lights turned off.

I give myself over to panic, there in the darkness. What's happening?

Why isn't anyone here? Shouldn't there be SOMEBODY, like a nurse or doctor?

I groan, the pain in my shoulder finally reaching me.

It's already receding, though, so I don't pay it much attention.

All at once, I hear whispers outside the door. "He's sleeping for now. He should be waking up soon. You can see him if you like."

And in they come, Gobber and Astrid and Fishlegs and Snotlout and the twins.

I blink a few times, surprised.

When they come within earshot, I swallow and say, "Tell me now, what limb did I lose?"

Their faces remain grim, and suddenly everything that happened comes back to me. "What's going on?"

"Hiccup," Gobber says slowly, clapping a hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry. We tried."

"What do you mean, 'we tried'?" I repeat, scared witless.

Astrid slowly steps forward and clasps my hands in hers. There's a streak of dirt on her cheek, her hair is messy, but she is still beautiful. "Hiccup, honey, Hiccup, look at me." She places a hand under my chin and gently tilts my head up, forcing me to look at her. "Hiccup, I'm so sorry. We tried, but…it didn't work out."

"What's going on?" I demand, starting to get angry. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Gobber announces in a flat voice, "We tried. But the dragons…they're leaving."

I shoot up so suddenly I get dizzy, and the walls spin for a second. "What?! No, no, no! No, wait!"

I cling onto the bed railings and come to a crouching position, preparing to leap out of the bed.

"No, Hiccup!" Astrid lays a gentle hand on my chest. Her fingers feel warm through the thin fabric of my shirt. Is it natural? Is that natural?

"Go back to sleep."

Darkness threatens to engulf me and the missed hours of sleep want to rise up above me, but I ignore it, because it's not that bad for now.

"No! I…I need to see Toothless—

"He's staying," Astrid repeats tonelessly. "Don't worry."

"He's only staying because he can't fly!" I retort angrily. "Let me out, guys!"

"Hiccup, you're going to make yourself sick with this," Gobber says carefully. "Just relax. Give it a few hours, ok?"

"We don't HAVE a few hours!" I say, frustrated. "The dragons are leaving NOW!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Gobber roars. "The dragons are leaving, ok?"

"There's one thing I can do."

* * *

The day I get discharged, I run firstly to the other dragons. "Thank you for waiting."

Then I run to Toothless, who has been staying at my place.

Apparently, most of the Venom Winds were killed, and the ones that weren't ended up making peace with the Night Furies.

I bite my lip and slowly hold out the tail I made for Toothless. It will give him independent flight. Which will render him able to leave me.

But…it's what he wants. I've got to learn to accept that he'd rather be with his own kind.

Hell, he'd be BETTER OFF being with his own kind!

I angrily blink back my tears, determined not to cry until Toothless is gone.

Toothless very gently nudges my hand. _Hiccup?_

"Toothless, I don't want you to leave me," I tell him, and soon the tears are coming, bringing me to my knees. I wrap my arms around Toothless' long, thick neck. "I know you want to, so I won't stop you. But I will always remember you."

My voice is shaky as I continue. "I hope…I hope you have a lot of fun and I hope…I hope your new life is really nice and I hope I see you again someday."

I break the hug and turn away, pressing my nose into my hands, hoping to stem the flood of tears.

Toothless waits until my crying subsides again. _Hiccup, come with me._

"What?" I sniffle, turning to face him.

_You can, right?_

"Yes…"

_So why not?_

I think about school. I can study by myself. I think of Gobber and Astrid and my other friends and how hard it will be to say goodbye to them.

But then I realize there really is no other circumstance in which I'd like to say goodbye to them.

So I turn to Toothless and just nod.

* * *

Toothless and I are getting ready to leave.

Gobber clutches my hand. "You have been an amazing boy, Hiccup. Until we meet again."

Suddenly, he gives me an awkward hug while also trying to make it look like he's merely clapping me on the back as he does so.

He pulls away and next is Fishlegs. He smiles at me and I hold up a fist.

We bump knuckles.

I give him a sad little smile. "I'm gonna miss you guys." Out of all of us, I'm the only dry-eyed person, which is surprising because I'm pretty sure Snotlout and Tuffnut were taking bets on when I was going to cry.

I sigh and say gently, "I'll try to visit in a few years."

Next come the twins, who eagerly punch my shoulders and Ruffnut swoops down and hugs me. "You're really great, Hiccup."

Snotlout parts the crowd easily with his broad shoulders. "Bye, weakling."

_I don't know why you put up with him, _Toothless comments.

I smile and clasp Snotlout's hand as he punches me with the other fist. "Hey, 'Lout. I'm gonna miss you, you know."

"Who wouldn't?" Snotlout counters, but he quickly wipes at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket.

Resisting the urge to tease him, I wait as, slowly, slowly, Astrid steps up to me.

She punches me on the shoulder and I climb down from Toothless' saddle so we're eye-to-eye.

"Astrid…" This is the hardest goodbye. If only Dad were here, I think to myself and then I really do have to blink back tears.

She grabs me by the collar of my shirt and whispers, "Just shut up and kiss me, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."

I comply, pressing my lips to hers.

She deepens the kiss and pushes her tongue into my mouth.

My hands slide to her waist, then up into her hair, tangling in her braid, and my fingers slowly come to rest on her cheek, and when we pull away, it's only because we would suffocate if we stayed like that.

Astrid and I stare at each other for a few minutes.

"Astrid…I love you and I know you can't come with me, but I am truly in love with you and no other girl could ever compare. I love you."

Then I lower my voice to a whisper and add, "Always."

Sometimes, being surrounded by a crowd can get annoying.

"Someday…" I wet my dry lips. "Someday, I want you to be Astrid Haddock."

Astrid smiles again and whispers, "Someday, I will be."

Her voice grows stronger. "And I will wait for you. I will wait for you and I will…I will think of you every day and I will wait until you come home for me."

I turn back to Toothless, getting ready to climb onto his back, but just before I can, Astrid slugs me in the back, kisses me on the back of my head, nuzzling her nose in my dark red hair and says quietly, "Come home, my hero."

And Toothless and I take off into the sky, away from my old life, away from everything I knew and loved.

Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

Goodbye...Dad.

Goodbye Astrid.

Goodbye Gobber.

Goodbye Dad.

Goodbye.


End file.
